Australia’s main mature games detractor calls it quits

If you’ve been keeping up with the headlines, you could be forgiven for believing there were only two sides in the battle to create an R18+ games rating in Australia: South Australia Attorney-General Michael Atkinson and everyone else ever.

Well, good news, Aussie guys and gals. Mr. Atkinson has decided to step down from the front bench, effectively ending his status as the wicked witch in good ol’ Oz.

Atkinson will, however, stay on Parliament until 2014, according to a report from Adelaide Now.

Still though, unless Jack Thompson snuck into Australia’s Labor party while we weren’t looking, we can’t imagine anyone else opposing violent videogames with the frothing fervor Atkinson brought to the table. So yeah, sounds like it’s time to break out one or two party hats, crank some slow-paced music until it’s just barely audible, and raise a toast to cautious optimism.

The storm’s not over yet, but you know that jittery feeling in your stomach? Nope, it’s actually not a small marsupial. It’s hope.